Mass Effect: Darkness Rising
by VoidofFire
Summary: The Reapers have been defeated, but Commander Shepard has died and the mass relay's have been destroyed. Can those left behind survive the victory?
1. Prologue

_**This story contains *spoilers* regarding Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3.**_

_**While a previous familiarity with the Mass Effect universe is not required, it is highly, highly recommended.**_

**Prologue**

In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization.

In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time.

They called it the greatest discovery in human history.

The civilizations of the galaxy call it Mass Effect.

Using relays supposedly built by the now-extinct Prothean's, humanity quickly discovered that it was far from being alone in the universe; in fact, the universe was full of a wide variety of sentient species. Humanity's first encounter with such a species left much to be desired.

Having newly discovered the Mass Relay's and curious about a much more accessible galaxy, human explorers travelled far and wide, activating every relay they could find. This occurred without incident until the humans attempted to activate relay 314, an inactive relay that had been forbidden from being used since the Rachni Wars. The Turians, another spacefaring species, witnessed humans attempting to activate the relay and opened fire. This led to a short but bloody war that would be known throughout humanity as the First Contact War.

After the fall of Shanxi, a human colony, the Council stepped in and negotiated peace between the two races. Humanity discovered the Citadel for the first time, an enormous space station built by the Prothean's and home to the Council. Over the course of nearly thirty years, relations between humanity and the Turians would be strained but steadily improving.

Of all of heroes humanity had to offer in the 22nd century, none were more prominent than Commander Shepard. Growing up as a colony kid on Mindoir was hard enough, but then Batarian slavers attacked the colony, killing Shepard's family and friends. One of the few survivors of the Batarian onslaught, Shepard was rescued by an Alliance patrol ship. With no home or family to go back to, Shepard's military career began there.

Surviving against impossible odds is a trait that would come to define Commander Shepard. While investigating a missing colony on Akuze, Shepard and her entire platoon of marines was set upon by Thresher Maws, giant vicious creatures that burrowed through the earth. Fifty marines had landed on Akuze. Only Commander Shepard made it back to the landing pad alive.

Being the sole survivor of the slaughter on Akuze garnered Shepard a lot of attention. That, combined with her stellar career record, placed her as a candidate for the Council's elite team of operatives.

Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. Spectres, everyone called them.

If she passed the test, Shepard would be the first human ever to become an operative of the Spectres, a giant leap forward for a race as young to the Council as humanity was. There was a lot riding on her success from the very beginning.

It was supposed to just be another routine mission; investigate the distress call from Eden Prime while current Turian Spectre Nihlus evaluates Shepard for her potential placement in the order. This does not go according to plan, however; it is discovered upon landing that the colony of Eden Prime is under attack by a race of artificial intelligence called the Geth. Nihlus runs into his former mentor, Saren Arterius, during the investigation. Nihlus let his guard down, and Saren shot him in the back.

Commander Shepard, with the aid of a former C-Sec officer, a Krogan bounty hunter, a Quarian engineer, and Alliance soldiers, chased Saren across the galaxy, discovering along the way something far more sinister; Saren is merely a pawn, a servant of an ancient race of sentient machines known as the Reapers. Sovereign, Saren's flagship, is actually a Reaper left over from 50,000 years ago as a vanguard to usher in a new Reaper invasion. If Saren and Sovereign succeed, all civilized life in the universe will be wiped out, just as it has every 50,000 years previously…

As it turned out, the Citadel was the key; the Citadel was in fact a dormant Mass Relay designed by the Reapers to be the gateway into the galaxy. Saren, finally realizing he was an indoctrinated servant of Sovereign, took his own life. Sovereign attempted to activate the Citadel relay, but through the efforts of Commander Shepard, the Alliance, and Council fleets, Sovereign was destroyed.

It was a battle that came at great cost. To save the Council, many human Alliance ships were destroyed by Sovereign. However, the valiant actions of humanity during the crisis resulted in the Alliance receiving a seat on the Council. Shepard knew the real threat was still out there, even if no one wanted to listen; the Reapers were still coming.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

While out investigating reports of Geth sightings, the SSV Normandy was set upon by an unknown force. The Normandy, outmatched and outgunned, was torn apart. Shepard, in order to save Joker – the Normandy's helmsman – was lost.

Commander Shepard had died.

But, it was not to be the end. Deciding that she was too important to lose, the human splinter group known as Cerberus spent a fortune rebuilding Shepard and the Normandy. The Illusive Man, the head of Cerberus, had only one request; investigate the disappearance of human colonies in the Traverse systems.

Shepard's investigation led her to discover that the Collectors were behind the abductions, an insectoid race many believed to be only a myth. But, just like Saren before them, the Collectors were only the servants of the true threat; the Reapers.

Shepard put together the best team that she could, consisting of many different races with many different backgrounds, and led them through the unmapped Omega-4 relay to take the fight to the Collectors. It was a suicide mission to the heart of the galaxy, but everyone knew what they had signed on for. Once there, Shepard learned a terrible truth; the abducted colonists were being liquidized and used to build a humanoid Reaper! Shepard and her team were able to defeat the monstrosity, but their troubles were far from over.

In awe of the Reaper technology that the Collectors had access to, the Illusive Man ordered Shepard to save the Collector base so that humanity could take advantage of the technology. Knowing what the technology of Reapers did to people, and unwilling to compromise her morals to advance humanity, Shepard refused, cutting ties with Cerberus and blowing up the Collector base.

It was time to face the music though; the Alliance impounded the Normandy and put Shepard on trial. Though her actions had been in service to the galaxy at large, she had been working with Cerberus, a recognized terrorist cell and avowed enemy of the Council. Held under house arrest in Vancouver, Shepard awaited a verdict that would never come.

Something big was coming, and it was coming fast. Finally, the Alliance decided to listen. Finally, they asked how to stop the Reapers. But it was far too late.

The Reapers had invaded, unleashing terror across Earth. Shepard barely escaped with her life, picked up by Joker and an Alliance retrofitted Normandy. Together, they set out to do the impossible one last time.

Their goal? To unite the races of the galaxy into a united effort against the Reaper threat. Their only hope lay in the hands of a design for an ancient Prothean weapon, the Crucible, supposedly capable of destroying the Reapers.

And do the impossible they did. With Shepard at the helm, they cured the Krogan genophage, ending a millennia of torment. They reconciled the Geth and the Quarians, allowing the space-faring species to finally return to their homeworld. All the while every resource available was going toward building the Crucible, preparing for a final stand. The only thing missing from the schematic was something that was referred to only as The Catalyst, the crucial component that the Prothean's never acquired before the Reapers wiped them out.

But the Reapers were not the only threat. Convinced that Reaper tech was the future of humanity, the Illusive Man outfitted his soldiers with Reaper upgrades. While Shepard sought the means to destroy the Reapers, the Illusive Man believed the answer lay in controlling the Reapers, turning their signals against them and bending them to humanities will. Indoctrinated and obsessed, the Illusive Man waged his own war amidst the Reaper invasion, but it would be his undoing. He would not realize what he had become until the end, but he took comfort in that his last view was of Earth, which he had done such terrible deeds to try and save.

The Catalyst had been revealed, however: it was the Citadel. It seemed only fitting that it would all end where it had began, especially since the Citadel had been moved in to orbit above Earth. Shepard led their combined forces in battle above Earth, fighting down to the streets of London. Shepard fought countless Reaper soldiers, survived an attack by Harbinger, and finally made it to the Citadel.

There, she finally discovered the truth; the Reapers were merely the tool of an ancient artificial intelligence, the true Catalyst, a flawed A.I. who had come to the conclusion that synthetics and organics could never live in harmony. To prevent them from wiping each other out, every 50,000 years the A.I. sent its Reapers to harvest the organics, to forever preserve them as part organic, part synthetic. However, the A.I. tells Shepard that Shepard's presence as the first organic to stand before it means the solution will no longer work. It presents Shepard with the multiple options the Crucible provides; the ability to control the Reapers, the ability to make all organics part synthetic, or the ability to destroy all synthetics (specifically, but not limited to, the Reapers).

Unwilling to go back on her beliefs and control the Reapers, like the Illusive Man had wanted, and unable to force synthesis on every organic being in the galaxy, Shepard chose to destroy the Reapers, even though it would come at great cost. Shepard gave her life to end the war with the Reapers, once and for all.

That was her story. Commander Shepard, savior of the galaxy several times over, gave the ultimate sacrifice. However, this story, the one that has yet to be told, is only just about to unfold. Commander Shepard's tale may be over, but down on the streets of London the story is only just beginning…


	2. Chapter 1: Danger Ahead

**Chapter 1**

"First time in London?"

Tadius Silhed glanced over at the young human who had addressed him. He was laying prone beside him, one eye through a sniper scope and the other flicking occasionally toward Tadius.

"Yes."

"Earth?"

"First time, yes."

"Hell of a first impression, isn't it?"

Indeed it was. Tadius had long heard of the sprawling, sparkling cities of the human homeworld, but all he had seen since his platoon arrived was annihilation. The Reapers left nothing unspoiled.

The human seemed to be waiting for Tadius to respond in some manner. Goodness, humans liked their small talk.

"Have you ever been to Palaven?"

"No," the human replied, slightly shaking his head. "I always thought—"

Tadius' omni-tool chirped, and the human stopped talking. Tadius waved him arm, his omni-tool lighting up in a gauntlet of gold with an oscillating ring.

"Tadius, we are all clear down here. What's it look like up there?"

"Real quiet. Saw a few Husks and a Cannibal earlier, heading east. No big ones."

"East. Straight toward Shepard and the others. The Primarch wants us to loop around, head down toward Big Ben. Hopefully we can draw some of the heat off of Shepard and Anderson."

"And bring Reapers right down on us," the human muttered, shaking his head. Tadius ignored him.

"Copy that. Heading down now." Tadius waved his arm again and the omni-tool shut down. He collapsed his rifle and strapped it to his back, motioning for the human to come along. Together they slid from their perch amongst the hollowed remains of a building and jumped down to street level, eyes scanning at all times for Reaper forces.

Tadius and the human, who introduced himself as Private Cantor, quickly regrouped with the rest of their make-shift squad. The fighting had been brutal earlier in the day; of their original squad of twenty, only eight remained. Jeran Tolka, the Turian who had contacted Tadius, waved them over to where the rest of the squad crouched behind the remains of a column.

"Command wants us to head back down along the bank and rendezvous with Eclipse forces holed up there," Jeran whispered as Tadius and Private Cantor kneeled down beside him.

"Counter-proposal," piped up a bleeding Salarian, green blood oozing from a gash in his arm. "Stay right where we are. Much safer. Leave mercs to rot."

"Grow a quad," Rodat, a Krogan, growled, shouldering the Salarian. "This isn't just about some merc squad!"

"He's right, Kova," Jeran said, shaking his head. "Hammer team is trying to make a push to the Conduit. Backing up Eclipse will take some of the pressure off of them. If Shepard and the others can't reach the Citadel, then all of this will have been for nothing."

Kova seemed to contemplate this, his horns twitching slightly. "Agreed. Salarian lives short enough, anyway. Better to die a hero than a coward."

"That's more like it!" Rodat said with a chuckle, pounding his fist into his other hand. "Let's go. I'm hungry for Reaper…"

"Disturbing," Jeran replied, extending his rifle, "but I'm glad you are on our side. Alright men, let's move out."


	3. Chapter 2: Unlikely Allies

**Chapter 2**

"Hostile forces have engaged," beeped the LOKI mech, discharging its pistol repeatedly. "Friendly unit casualties: substantial."

The husks shuffled forward, the dim glowing lights of their Reaper technology giving their twisted forms an even more frightening appearance. The soft blue light pulsing through their veins and radiating from their eye sockets were enough to drive a normal man mad. But here, on Earth, they did not face normal men.

"Keep up the pressure!" Sayn called, blowing a hole through the torso of a rushing husk. "Remember what the Major said: Hold the line!"

Sayn was the newly promoted leader of Aria's Eclipse mercenaries. Newly, because the previous leader and founder was completely insane and locked up, and Commander Shepard had decided it was better to leave her right where she was. Sayn had been in very few firefights in his life, and he certainly had never worked with the Salarian Tasks Group before, but this enemy was unlike anything the Eclipse had ever face—unlike anything _anyone_ had ever faced. Sayn was going to take advice and inspiration from wherever he could get it.

"Target acquired," buzzed the YMIR mech, a hulking behemoth with a machine gun built into one arm and a rocket launcher built into the other. It fired a rocket down into a pulsing swarm of husks, sending a dozen flying through the air in a geyser of rotted flesh and blue fluid. The YMIR's machine guns lit up, easily cutting down another five or six husks that were attempting to circle around behind where the Eclipse and their allies were entrenched.

"Harvester!" someone cried, and Sayn looked up in time to see the winged black beast soar overhead, it's awful cry shaking the ground as it's tattered wings cut through the air.

"When will backup arrive?" shouted a human soldier over the din of the Harvester.

"Heavy Reaper forces spotted downriver. Arrival of backup is unlikely," Sayn replied, his eyes never leaving the circling Harvester.

"Who needs backup?" cried Wrex, a particularly vivacious Krogan, gripping his shotgun tightly. "Things are finally getting interesting."

"Your definition of 'interesting' and mine are very different, Wrex," Sayn replied, holding his rifle as steady as possible. "Perhaps backup will arrive yet."

* * *

"We're taking heavy fire, Sarge!" Private Canton cried as a shell impacted maybe a dozen meters from where them, spraying dirt and debris high into the air. Jeran shook his head. You could always trust a human to state the glaringly obvious.

"The real trouble is that marauder," Tadius shouted over the cries of Reapers, looking downfield with his sniper rifle. "He's keeping the cannibal's and husks coordinated. Take him down and most of this lot should go down pretty easy. He's pretty smart though; he's staying just out of range of my rifle."

"So we've got to get in close, or at least, _closer_." Jeran mused, closing his eyes. "Tadius, you loop around the side through these buildings while we hold their attention here. Try and get the drop on him."

Tadius nodded, eyes narrowed. He knew the odds of coming back from an attack like this were probably slim. But if that is what it was going to take, then that is what it would take; he was a Turian, and this is what he had trained for all his life.

"Good luck," Pvt. Canton said, his face unreadable. Tadius was surprised that these solemn words from his human acquaintance actually brought him comfort. How times change.

Tadius nodded his appreciation and wished the young private luck as well before shouldering his rifle and scooting down out of the line of fire. Tadius stepped cautiously through the burned out ruin of the neighboring building, painfully conscious of every heavy footstep, every clink of armor. The rooms were filled with ash and soot, pillars twisted and black, warped on their sad journey to the ceiling. The devastating fire that had gutted this place had long since been exhausted, leaving this place nothing but a forgotten shell of a previous life. Had it been a home? An office? A school?

Tadius didn't know, and honestly, he didn't want to think about it.

Tadius passed through several more buildings such as this, desperately trying to ignore the skeletal remains littered about, their jaws open in an endless scream of terror. Tadius quietly hoped that their deaths had been quick and painless, though an honest part of him highly doubted it.

The end passage of the last building was blocked by debris, forcing Tadius to climb to the next level. From a hole in the wall he could see his target; the marauder was crouched behind cover almost directly below him, energy pouring from his hands and enveloping the Reapers nearby.

Marauders were the worst, as far as Tadius was concerned. Not because of their capabilities, really, but because of the knowledge that they used to be Turians.

Used to be. Not anymore. The Reapers had changed them, turned them into something else entirely.

Monstrosities.

And monsters needed to be destroyed. But for Tadius, when looking at a former member of his species, he couldn't help but feel the lines of morality blur a little, his convictions waver.

That, of course, would never stop him from doing his duty.

With a battle cry that would make a Krogan proud, Tadius leapt from the roof, knife in hand, ready to plunge it into the marauder's heart.

He would never get the chance to. The marauder was too fast for him.

The marauder turned, his cold hand catching Tadius by the throat and knocking the knife to the dirt. With an effortless twist the marauder slammed Tadius to the ground, hard enough to break a rib. Tadius writhed on the ground, clutching his side as the marauder towered over him. Its blue eye scrutinized him furiously as it leveled a gun at Tadius' head.

_MEET YOUR DESTINY._

The words roared inside Tadius' mind and blood seeped from his ears. Tadius clenched his teeth together as hard as he could.

"Fuck. You."

The marauder cocked its head slightly. Something shimmered slightly next to Tadius, almost imperceptible. _Perhaps the spirits are with me,_ Tadius thought, meeting his opponent's gaze dead on. Its finger twitched, a hairs breadth away from the trigger…

A curved blade slashed from the darkness, severing the marauder's head from its shoulders. Its lifeless body slumped to the ground and Tadius saw the shimmering light again.

_What the…_

The shimmer dissipated and revealed a stunning young woman in black and grey armor, a hood concealing most of her face in shadow. Her face split into a coy grin.

"You looked like you could use a hand," she said, extending hers toward Tadius.

He gladly took it.


	4. Chapter 3: Darkest Before the Dawn

**Chapter 3**

Just as Jeran had predicted, the remaining husks and cannibals were put down relatively easily without the influence of the marauder. He greeted Tadius and his rescuer quickly but happily, pleased that his old friend had survived the encounter with the marauder.

"And who do we have to thank for their timely intervention?" Jeran asked, shaking the newcomer's hand.

"Kasumi Goto, at your service," said the hooded woman, bowing quickly with a flourish of her arm.

"I know you!" Pvt. Cantor exclaimed, snapping his fingers together. "You helped the Commander take down the Collectors!"

"That certainly didn't do any favors for my anonymity," Kasumi admitted with a chuckle, hands on her hips. "But as much as I would like to hear whatever stories have been spun about me, it is going to have to wait."

"Agreed," Jeran replied, shifting his weight uneasily. "We are moving to reinforce a position down the river. Are you with a squad?"

Kasumi merely shook her head slowly, but its message was clear to all of them.

"You are welcome to join us, if you want to," Pvt. Cantor gushed, glancing quickly at Jeran and Tadius for approval. They, of course, nodded in agreement.

"I would be honored," Kasumi replied, running her hand along the hilt of her katana. "I haven't put near enough of these bastards down yet. Can't have Shep going and showing me up…"

"Alright team," Jeran said, motioning to Kova and the rest. "Let's move out."

* * *

"Keep up the pressure!" Sayn cried, rapidly firing his Avenger rifle at the swooping Harvester.

The monster slammed down to the earth with a roar, thrashing out with its legs and decimating a handful of LOKI mechs.

"Situation: critical," cried a mech that was laying on the ground, its legs shattered. "Rerouting power. Calculated odds of this unit surviving now at 0.0001—"

_CRUNCH!_

The Harvester brought the full weight of its leg crashing down on the doomed mech, crushing the LOKI into scrap metal. The YMIR mech opened fire again, its bullets sinking deep into the Harvester's side but not slowing it down at all. The monster rose back into the air with a heavy flap of its wings before scooping up the YMIR in its claws and tearing it in two.

"This isn't working!" shouted a human soldier, watching in horror as the pieces of the heavy mech rained down nearby.

"Stay here," Wrex growled, mischief in his voice. "I have an idea. Keep it, hmm, _distracted_."

"Perfect," Sayn muttered, shaking his head while Wrex ran out of sight. "Love being distraction for Reapers."

The Harvester began to circle back around again, passing close to the building that most of the Eclipse mercs were using as cover. This was apparently the moment Wrex had been waiting for, for no sooner was the Harvester passing the building that a flash of red and silver caught Sayn's eye.

"I. Am. KROGAN!" Wrex roared, leaping from the building and grabbing onto the back of the thrashing Harvester.

The Harvester roared, shooting up high into the sky, dipping and looping in an attempt to shake Wrex off. Wrex dug his hand deep into its back, chuckling as he made a handhold out of its torn flesh. He pulled himself forward as the Harvester screeched in agony, rolling and diving and still trying to shake the Krogan free.

Wrex pulled himself up and wrapped his arm around the beast's neck, laughing all the while. As soon as he was sure his grip was true, he pulled his shot gun from where it hooked on his back, bringing it level with the base of the Harvester's skull.

He fired once, twice, three times in all.

With a final scream the Harvester plummeted, crashing down through an abandoned building and sliding to a stop a few feet away from Sayn. Wrex let go and slid to the ground, his lips curled in a cocky grin.

"That's why you don't send a Salarian to do a Krogan's job," Wrex said, kicking the Harvester's corpse.

Sayn didn't have a chance to reply; at that moment a giant Reaper flew past them overhead, two kilometers long and eyes glowing a fearful yellow. It was heading right for the conduit.

Right toward Shepard and the others.

"Wow, you guys have really been doing some damage here," came a voice from their right, after the Reaper had passed them by. Sayn looked over and saw a squad of friendly's approaching, led by two Turians and a woman in a hood. The Turians introduced themselves as Jeran and Tadius, and the woman as Kasumi.

"We're your backup," the one called Tadius said, eyes cast down. It was obvious they had lost a lot of men along the way.

"Happy to have all the help we can get," Sayn replied honestly, helping another soldier dress Kova's wound. "Position relatively well fortified. No shortage of Reaper forces. No big ones, thankfully. One passed by just before you arrived, however."

"We saw it," replied a human soldier, a Private Cantor. "We think it was going straight for Hammer team."

"Our concern as well," Sayn said with a nod, his voice grim. "Nothing we can do against a big Reaper like that though. We must hold this position, no matter what, and hope for the best."

Kasumi moved past them, standing atop a rock and looking over the darkened sky to where the conduit shone like a beacon in the night. Tadius stood next to her, watching her as much as he was watching the horizon with her. In the distance constant gunfire could be heard, and every shot was painful. Was that another friend dying? Another father, mother, brother, or sister who would never go home again?

Tadius shook himself. He couldn't torture himself like that, like he began to feel in the building earlier. Not when there was so much on the line.

The comm. crackled to life on the general broadcast.

"No one made it. Hammer team has been completely wiped out. Repeat: no one made it."

Tadius felt his heart sink. So, that was it. Shepard had been defeated, and soon they would all follow. But then…

"Wait. Wait. We are getting reports that someone did make it to the conduit. We believe that Commander Shepard has made it to the Citadel. If you can hear this, Godspeed Commander. Godspeed."


	5. Chapter 4: The End of One Thing, Part 1

**Chapter 4**

"Now you see me," Kasumi said, activating her shadow cloak and slipping behind an unsuspecting cannibal, driving her sword through its back. "Now you don't."

Jeran glanced at Tadius. "She is enjoying this far too much," he muttered, his mandibles twitching into a smile. Tadius could not help but agree.

The fighting had become even more intense since Shepard had made it to the Conduit, with Reaper forces spilling over the rubble of the ruined city toward where the Eclipse were taking cover. They were giving a good fight, but it was only a matter of time until they were overrun; Sayn knew this, but something in him made him stay. The words of the Major came back to him, driving him forward, to death or victory!

"Hold the line!" Sayn cried, gunning down a swarm of husks. "We must hold the line!"

Mere meters from where he stood an Eclipse merc went down, pinned by a hoard of husks. His screams echoed out as they tore into his flesh. An Alliance soldier took down a husk only to be blasted into pieces by a cannibal, and a young Asari biotic was crushed beneath the driving force of a charging Brute…

_BUURRR-WAAAHH!_

The sound was so terrible that no words could describe; a great reverberation that shook the earth and tore apart your soul. The sound was almost as terrifying as what it announced: the arrival of a towering Reaper, its red eye gleaming with pure malice and chaotic energy.

_WHY DO YOU RESIST? _ The Reaper roared in their heads, knocking aside a building with an outstretched leg. _WE ARE YOUR SALVATION. WHERE YOU SEEK TO DESTROY, WE SEEK ONLY TO PRESERVE…_

Another electronic burst brought them to their knees, the Reaper's red laser decimating an entire platoon with one sweep. Sayn tore his eyes from the ground and looked up at his coming doom, the red laser that would take him away from this, that blinding red light…

But there was another red light, burning across the horizon, and it gave the Reaper pause. It ceased its attack and turned, enraptured by the red wave of energy washing over the world. And just before the wave crashed over him the world went dark, and the Reaper felt the voice of the Catalyst fade away. It was alone as it was sucked into oblivion.

Tadius couldn't believe his eyes. The great pulse of red energy washed over the world and enveloped the Reapers, sending the towering monstrosities and husks alike crashing to the ground. Tadius glanced up toward the stars and was amazed to see that the energy was originating from the Citadel, crashing over Earth and shooting off into space.

Beyond what they could see, the energy from the Crucible rocketed through space, colliding with the mass relay drive and turning it red. It dissipated the Reaper-destroying energy with enough force to crack the relay into several pieces before sending the energy off into the darkness of space.

And so it travelled, spanning across the galaxy in a giant web, spread to every system and every planet by the dispersed energy of the relays. It was the same everywhere; on Thessia, the Asari homeworld, the Reapers collapsed as the wave of energy washed over them. On Palaven, the Reapers fell before the expanding wave, never to rise from the dust again.

It was unbelievable. In one moment, Commander Shepard had felled the undefeatable enemy. In one moment, she had ended a cycle of destruction that had lasted for millions of years.

In one moment, she had saved an entire galaxy and its entire people, and the cheers that rose up across every world were deafening.

And in the next moment, the Citadel exploded.

* * *

Kasumi fell to her knees, an anguished cry choking in her throat as explosions rippled across the Presidium and down the arms, which in turn broke off from the station and ruptured into a thousand pieces as explosions continued to rock what was left of the galaxy's capital.

"Shepard," she whispered, tears streaming down her face as pieces of the Citadel began to burn up as they rocketed through Earth's atmosphere. Tadius came and kneeled beside her, wrapping his arm around her as she cried.

And so they sat together as the fires of the world slowly burned out and a bittersweet sun began to rise over a planet full of exhausted survivors.


	6. Chapter 5: The End of One Thing, Part 2

**Chapter 5**

"We finally got some of our ships back up and running," Admiral Hackett announced the next day, dusting his hands against his torn uniform. "Preliminary reports confirm it; the Sol relay has been destroyed. It is safe to assume the same can be said of the other relays."

"How is this possible?" said a Salarian, shaking his head. "I thought it was impossible to destroy mass relays?"

"Nah, Shepard did it once, remember?" Pvt. Cantor piped up, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Yes, and destroyed an entire system in the process," grumbled Councilor Sparatus, the council representative for the Turians. "We are still here, the system is still here, so what is different?"

"It is very likely that the mass relays dissipated the energy that was fired by the Crucible," a young Asari replied, her white and blue armor stained with blood and coated in mud. "Shepard crashed an asteroid into a relay before, causing the energy to explode with destructive force. If in fact this time it merely transmitted the energy from the Crucible, that is why the systems have been left untouched."

"What Dr. T'Soni says seems accurate," Admiral Hackett replied, leaning his hands against a table. "All we know for certain is that most technology has been rendered inoperable without repair, and nobody here is leaving the Sol system for the foreseeable future."

"We can't stay here!" cried Sparatus, rising to his feet. "In case you have forgotten Admiral, we can't eat human food. Neither can the Quarians. Being trapped in this system may as well be a death sentence."

"Calm yourself, Councilor," Primarch Victus said softly from a nearby corner, changing the bandages on his wounds. "We have a generous supply of food between the Flotilla ships and our cruisers."

"We also have stockpiles of dextro-amino foods here on Earth, for tourists, dignitaries, what have you," Cantor said, glancing between the Councilor and the Primarch. "I mean, I'm sure some of it has been destroyed or gone bad, but we can make locating reserves a priority."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm," the Turian Councilor said honestly, shaking his head slowly. "But these are only short-term solutions, at best. In the long run, if we cannot return to our world, our people will die."

"I understand, Councilor. I promise that we will figure it all out. But not today. Today, we will focus on remembering our fallen and getting this area livable for the present. Try and get some rest, we are all going to need it." Admiral Hackett finished with a nod, excusing himself from the tent.

"The first order of business should be to reinstate the council," the Salarian councilor said, arms folded. "Structure and order are more important now than ever before."

"You can't possibly be serious," Pvt. Cantor replied, his expression growing stern. "Millions are dead, and all you are thinking about is your precious little claim to power?"

"I don't know who you are, human, but I am willing to overlook your indiscretion this time," the Salarian councilor replied coldly, "but I am not concerned with my 'precious little claim to power', as you put it. The people of the galaxy need a symbol of stability now that the Reapers have fallen. What better symbol of familiarity and stability than the council?"

"Familiarity and stability?" Cantor fumed, his fists clenched. "Where was that 'stability' three years ago when Shepard came before you about the Reapers? How many lives could have been spared if you had listened and prepared instead of dismissing her claims?"

"Can't blame us for that," the Salarian replied defensively. "No one would have taken such claims seriously."

"How dare you justify—after everything that has happened you dare try to justify this?!"

"Private, that's enough!" an Alliance Captain roared, backing Cantor toward the exit. "You need to cool off, son!"

Cantor sighed, looking past the Captain at the Councilor. Finally, he saluted, excusing himself from the tent.

"The earth-clan has a point," the Volus ambassador stated, his fingers knotted. "Perhaps a new council should be considered."

"Oh, no one is going to listen to you!" Councilor Sparatus snarled, his mandibles twitching. "You just want to Volus to finally have a seat on the council! What's next, a seat for the Krogan?"

"You better watch yourself," Wrex said softly, which was more frightening than if he had shouted. "You are walking a dangerous line, Councilor."

"Stop it!" Liara T'Soni cried, stepping between them. "I know that old prejudices aren't going to die in a day, but to let this come down to old disputes is a disservice to Shepard's memory and I won't stand for it."

This seemed to calm the tension considerably, a fact which made Tadius very happy. "You speak the truth, Dr. T'Soni," Councilor Sparatus said, backing down. "I was out of line. She sacrificed too much for us to learn nothing from it. I believe the Admiral's suggestion was a good one. We should adjourn until things are more settled and tempers are cooled, and make plans for the future then."


	7. Chapter 6: The Start of Something New

**Chapter 6**

Kasumi slid down a long curved stretch of rubble and leapt gracefully from it, landing on her feet without breaking stride. She held up her omni-tool, scanning the area around her where pieces of the Citadel lay burning.

"Anything?" Liara asked, using her biotics to float down to where Kasumi stood amidst the wreckage. Kasumi's omni-tool chirped and flashed.

"Nothing," Kasumi replied solemnly. "No signs of life in the vicinity. Just like all the rest of them."

"Do not give up hope," Liara encouraged, though her voice sounded strained. "We may find survivors yet."

Kasumi nodded, even though her resolve had begun to falter. She wanted to believe that they would find people alive (one person in particular, though that seemed like too much to ask for), but after combing over the wreckage for three days and finding nothing…Kasumi was no longer convinced that any hope actually remained.

They moved together, ducking under a jagged beam and moving into what seemed to once be a long hallway.

"I've been here before," Liara said in amazement. "This is part of the Presidium, near the embassies." She dragged her hand along the burned and crushed metal that was almost unrecognizable; Kasumi was unsure if she would honestly be able to tell if she had ever been to this part of the Citadel before, this wretched broken shell of what it used to be. Kasumi looked around, shaking her head.

"What happened up there, Liara?" Kasumi whispered, fighting to hold back tears. "What happened to Shepard on the Citadel? What caused _this_?"

"I don't know," Liara replied, moving next to her friend. "I fear that we may never know exactly what happened. Only that Shepard saved us all, as she always wanted to."

Kasumi scoffed slightly, moving over and sitting against the wall. Liara moved and sat beside her, pulling her knees to her chest. "Is there any chance," Kasumi began, swallowing hard. "Is there any chance that Shepard survived? I mean, she got blasted by the Collectors and came back…"

"That was different; Cerberus rebuilt her. Something tells me that isn't going to happen this time. I don't even think—" Liara was about to say, _I don't even think there would be anything left of Shepard to find_, but she stopped herself. The reality of it all hadn't really set in for Liara yet; she had been so focused on helping with all recovery and reconstruction efforts that she hadn't let her mind come to terms with the fact that her best friend in the galaxy was gone, never to return…

_Stop it,_ she chastised herself, _now is not the time for mourning. Shepard would never want her death to prevent us from doing our duty._

Liara stood, extending her hand toward Kasumi. "We cannot allow loss and death to hold us back, otherwise their sacrifices mean nothing. We must honor their memory, and seize the opportunity to live that they have afforded us; that Shepard has afforded us."

Kasumi nodded in understanding, and let Liara help her to her feet. Kasumi knew that what Liara said was true, even though it was incredibly hard for Kasumi to grasp now that the pain and loss was fresh in her mind. She would not allow it to hold her back though; she owed Shepard at least that much.

"Come on," Kasumi said, activating her omni-tool. "With any luck we can finish this sector before dark."

* * *

The next morning preparations were made for a funeral and tribute to Shepard and all those who gave their lives in the war against the Reapers. Admiral Hackett and the members of the Council all gave speeches, rifles were fired, and the plans for a statue were unveiled. The statue was a large rendering of Commander Shepard flanked by Krogan, Asari, Salarian, Turian, Quarian, and Geth soldiers. Upon completion it would be placed at the 'ground zero' of the Reaper conflict, at the base of the conduit that had taken Shepard to the Citadel. It was the hope of Hackett and the Council to eventually have similar statues placed on every homeworld in the galaxy, a statement of hope for the future and the ability for the stranded species to actually see their homeworlds again.

After the unveiling of the statue, anyone from Shepard's crew that wanted to speak was allowed to do so. Garrus Vakarian, a Turian that had stuck by Shepard since the very beginning was the first to say a few words in her honor.

"I like to think I knew the Commander well," he began, laying his hand on her empty coffin. "But how well can someone truly know a woman so complex and unwavering? I know that she pulled me from the darkness more than once; there was one time when I was bent on revenge, and she was the only one that was able to show me the way out…"

When Garrus finished, Liara stepped up.

"How do you mourn someone you mourned for before, and come out alright? I had come to terms with her death after the Collector attack, then to find out that she had been returned to us…only to have her taken away again? But then I remember that she was not taken. The first time, she sacrificed herself to save a member of her crew. This time, she sacrificed herself for all of us, and for everyone who will ever walk this world or any other. I loved Commander Shepard; she was my friend. I remember how we met; it seems like so long ago now, like a different life…"

Tali'Zorah was the next to speak. Kasumi caught Tadius looking at her from the corner of her eye, and she actively avoided eye contact. Surely he was wondering if she, as a former member of Shepard's crew, would speak. But what could she say? What insight could she give into the life of the most powerful and inspirational person she had ever met? _No_, she decided, _there was nothing she could say that was worthy._

Tadius continued to watch Kasumi, even after she turned and bowed her head. He was drawn to her in an inexplicable way. Was it because she had saved his life? It seemed like more; he saw the sadness in her eyes and her desire to hide it from the world, and he wanted to save her from it, somehow…

Tadius sighed, standing with the rest of those paying tribute and saluting the fallen. When he looked back, Kasumi was nowhere to be seen. Tadius shook his head, walking with the Turians back to where they had all set up camp. Was he actually falling for a human? He told himself that it was just from the situation they were in, that it was because she had saved his life, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he cared for her on a deeper level.

He hoped the feeling would pass.


	8. Chapter 7: Going Home

**Chapter 7**

The day after the tribute, Hackett reconvened with some of the prominent survivors of the war. The primarch brought Tadius in with him, and Tadius was pleased to see Kasumi sitting off in the corner, her knee pulled up and her arm draped casually over it.

Pvt. Cantor, however, was nowhere to be found; it wasn't that surprising considering his outburst last time, but Tadius regretted that he wasn't here. He had come to consider the human a friend over the last week, working together to rescue survivors and getting power back online.

Liara was there, as were Tali and Garrus. Together they stood around a galaxy map projection, talking quietly amongst themselves. Admiral Hackett cleared his throat, and the room instantly fell silent.

"You all know why we are here today; we have to try and find a solution to start getting everyone home, most critically the Turians to Palaven and the Quarians home to Rannoch. We have in here some of the brightest minds of the galaxy. So, let's find a solution ladies and gentlemen."

"Just out of curiosity," one soldier said, a human, "how long would it take to get there doing a hard burn with the FTL drive?"

"You mean if you manage to do it without imploding your eezo drive?" another human asked, leaning forward in his chair. "Months, if not years, just to get to the closest system, like Sur'Kesh. Never mind getting to Palaven."

"Lieutenant Moreau is correct," Hackett admitted, albeit regrettably. "The risk of drive core failure on a burn like that is too high for it to be a viable option."

"What is the current state of the mass relays? Are they completely obliterated, or somewhat salvageable?" Liara asked, her arms crossed.

"From what I have been given to understand, the Sol relay is mostly intact, split into about three large chunks and several smaller pieces. I suppose if we had schematics or something along those lines, repairing them could be an option; as far as I know however, all layouts of the relay's were on the Citadel."

"Maybe not," announced an Asari, drawing the gaze of everyone in the room. "I studied the relays extensively in the past. I still have most of the layouts and schematics on hand."

Admiral Hackett was obviously surprised. "That's excellent news! If we are able to get our fleets operational and working on this, we just might be able to get everyone home. But I have to ask, why did you study the relays, and why still carry all that stuff around?"

The Asari made a guttural sound in her throat that reminded Tadius more of a Krogan than an Asari. "I believed that the Asari should spend less time stripping in bars and focus on military preparedness; I also believed that it would be a good idea for the Asari to build their own mass relays. However, when I presented my ideas, they laughed—"

"The blue off your ass, yes, we all remember," the Asari councilor finished, shaking her head. "Matriarch Aethyta has a point however. Her plans could be useful in any endeavor to repair the mass relay network."

"Useful?" Aethyta growled indignantly. "Saving your sorry ass is more like it! You never thought I would—"

Liara placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, interrupting her rant. Aethyta closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"The plans are yours, if you choose to use them. That is all."

Aethyta turned and stormed out of the tent. Liara turned to follow.

"I'm just going to make sure she is okay. Please, continue in my absence."

"Very well, Dr. T'Soni. Now, I believe that the best course of action is to use the matriarch's schematics to begin rebuilding the relays. It is the best chance we have of getting everyone home."

"I would like to say something, if possible," Tali said, raising her hand to be recognized. Hackett nodded to her, welcoming her to speak. "I know that everyone is very anxious to get home; believe me, my people have been wanting to go home for 300 years. But," she said, looking around nervously, "I don't think it is a good idea to rebuild the mass relays."

There was a lot of muttering around the room after that, mostly from the Turians and the other Quarians. Another one of the Quarian Admirals, Admiral Raan, turned to look at Tali.

"Why not, Admiral Tali'Zorah? We have relied on the relays for millennia, and countless species before us. Why now should we abandon them?"

Tali sighed, leaning against the galaxy map projector. "Legion once told me that the Reapers created the mass relays to ensure that our societies grew along the paths that they desired. It was just a design to keep us stagnant and ready for their harvest. We never looked to develop new technology for long distance travel because the relays were provided for us. If we repair them, we are knowingly using Reaper tech and…I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. I don't think Shepard would approve."

"It is a nice sentiment, Tali'Zorah," the Asari councilor replied, "but I don't think we have any choice. Trying to develop our own technology for that kind of travel would probably take decades. Your people don't have that long, and neither do the Turians."

"Not to mention that anything developed would probably be derived from the mass relay technology, at least as a starting point. We have no choice. We must rebuild the mass relays." Hackett told her.

Tali raised her hands in surrender. "Then you will hear nothing more about it from me. I understand your points, but I do not approve."

Tadius saw Garrus grab her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. Almost involuntarily he glanced over at where Kasumi was sitting, but she had disappeared again.

"We will use the quantum entanglement system to establish contact with survivors on the other planets. They will have to rebuild the relay on their end so we can jump there from the Sol relay when it is finished." Hackett snapped an honorary salute.

"Let's make it happen people."


	9. Chapter 8: Darkness Rises

**Chapter 8**

_Two years later…_

"Two minutes until we hit Palaven's relay," the helmsman called over the intercom to the 130 souls aboard the ship. Tadius looked over at Pvt. Cantor, who had decided to accompany them to Palaven on this run. This would be Tadius' third trip home since the reconstruction of the relay network. There was still a long way to go to getting things back to a semblance of what they used to be, but after so long, there was hope.

Garrus Vakarian stood on the far side of the ship, looking out the viewport as the transport ship dropped out of FTL and Palaven came into view. The last time Garrus had seen Palaven it had been burning, his last sight of it from the Normandy in the middle of the Reaper invasion. That was almost two and a half years ago.

Now, the fires were out, but he knew that things were still not at their best down on the surface. And how could they be, after the incredible destructive force of the Reapers had descended upon them? The Citadel had taken more than two years to fully recover from Sovereign's attack all those years ago; how long would it take to rebuild a planet?

The transport ship began its descent through Palaven's thick atmosphere, mass effect fields keeping the ship pretty steady as it broke through and fell into a ship lane above the capital city. Garrus sighed as he saw the state of the once proudest city on Palaven; rubble still lay everywhere, and less than half the buildings remained. Some were being rebuilt, clearly in the process of reconstruction while other areas were still being cleared of debris. Garrus shook his head; there was still such a long way to go.

The thrusters kicked in as the ship turned out of the lane, circling around the tallest building left standing before coming in for a landing. It was Espiritus Tower, the Tower of the Ancients, and the home of Palaven's ruling government for the last millennia. Garrus chuckled when he saw its tall gleaming silver spires, reminded of the human explorer Jon Grissom's famous statement regarding Palaven: Everything on Palaven is made of silver, except for the Turians; it is all too clear they are made of steel.

The pilot powered down the engines and the bay door opened, allowing Tadius, Cantor, Garrus, and the other passengers to disembark into the landing bay. Cantor looked around in awe at the silver spires and the construction all around them. Tadius came up behind him, taking in the view as well.

"First time on Palaven?" he asked jokingly, elbowing Cantor. Cantor laughed, getting the reference.

"Yes. Yes it is."

"Hell of a first impression, isn't it?"

"Your people are recovering nicely from the war. It won't be long until the Turian hierarchy is back to its old self."

"We certainly hope so, Mr. Cantor," said a newcomer. They all turned to see Primarch Victus approaching, his armor much cleaner than the last time they saw him. "Vakarian, Silhed. Good to see you both again," he said, shaking Garrus and Tadius' hand. "Why don't you all come inside? Councilor Sparatus is going to speak soon, and I am sure he will be glad to see you all beforehand."

"Maybe not all of us," Cantor muttered, shuffling his feet. Victus heard him and smiled.

"We try not to hold grudges, Mr. Cantor. Animosity is something we care rarely afford right now. Besides, I do not believe that an outburst two years ago is enough to put you on the Councilor's—how do you humans say it? Ah, yes—_shit list_."

This drew a chuckle from Cantor. "I will have to trust your judgment in that regard, Primarch. Lead the way."

Primarch Victus led them down the hall toward the elevators as dozens of Turians rushed back and forth about their duties. "I must say Primarch, I didn't expect the Tower to be in such good condition," Garrus said, marveling at the hustle and bustle around him in the tower.

"Neither did we, to be honest," the Primarch replied, motioning them into the elevator and holding up his hand to stop another Turian from trying to get on, "especially given the Reaper's tendency toward obliterating anything of cultural significance. It has become a beacon of hope to our people, a symbol of the endurance of the Turian spirit."

The elevator stopped at the top floor and Victus led them down another hallway toward the conference room where Sparatus was preparing to speak. "Reconstruction efforts have been mostly successful. We have put the death toll at around half the planetary population; the Turian Hierarchy survives."

"Half?" Cantor asked, shocked by the Primarch's words. "That's over three billion people, sir."

"I am painfully aware of that fact, Pvt. Cantor," Victus replied, approaching a door console. "But it does little good to walk around mourning in despair when strength is needed, now more than ever."

Tadius saw that Cantor was displeased, but the young human did not press it any further.

Just then, a large gunship painted with the markings of the 33rd regiment buzzed by, causing the glass to rattle. "What the hell are they thinking?" Primarch Victus growled, opening the conference room door. "They know they aren't supposed to run drills this close to the Tower."

They saw the room for a split second; a long table with ornate chairs, charts and schematics projected across almost every inch of wall, and two dozen Turians, a few Asari, and even two Krogan gathered around, talking and debating with Councilor Sparatus at the helm.

Tadius wouldn't remember later if he saw something suspicious, or if it was a gut feeling that he reacted upon. "Shall we go in?" the Primarch beckoned, stepping into the room.

"NO!" Tadius cried, lunging forward. The only one he was able to grab was Garrus, who stared at him with a dumbfounded expression right before a rocket burst through the window and exploded.

Screams and cries echoed through the air, everyone in shock of what had just happened. Survivors looked to the wounded, trying to count the dead and make sense of the attack.

But it was just the beginning.

Another rocket exploded against the side of the tower, shattering the glass and knocking Tadius to the floor, bringing Garrus with him. A barrage of machine gun fire ripped through the building, cutting down several Turians who were trying to escape the wrecked and smoldering conference room. Tadius saw through the shattered window the source of the attack; that same gunship that had just buzzed by moments before! But, why—?

His musing was cut short by another rocket to the side of the building, its impact causing the entire Tower to shake violently. "Stay down!" both he and Garrus shouted at Cantor at the same time, and the human merely nodded, face down with his hands over his head. Garrus and Tadius rushed forward toward the conference room, barely dodging another burst of gunfire from the ship.

"Councilor! Primarch! Can either of you hear me?" Garrus shouted over the sobs and crackling flames.

"Vakarian! Here!" came a croaking cry, and Tadius and Garrus rushed to Victus' side. Blood dripped freely from a wound in his side, but the Primarch was resilient. "This is nothing," he groaned, holding his hand tight against the wound.

"Where is Sparatus?" Tadius asked, trying to find the Councilor through the smoke and piles of bodies. Victus merely shook his head, pointing over toward the far side of the room. There lay Councilor Sparatus, eyes open in a never ending stare, vicious burns covering his body and bullet holes torn through his decorative robes. Tadius swore, but there was no time to do anything about it now.

"We have to get the Primarch to safety, immediately!" Garrus roared as another rocket threatened to throw them all to the floor.

"I will try and help any survivors here," Tadius replied, ducking down as the far wall exploded.

"No! I need you with me!"

"And I can't leave them!" Tadius shouted as the wind ripped against the exposed side of the tower. Garrus looked at him for a long moment, contemplating.

"Alright!" he finally shouted, helping the Primarch to his feet. "Do what you can. I will be back as soon as I am able!"

Most of the initial survivors from the conference room had either escaped or perished, but Tadius was able to find an Asari commando trapped under a beam, leg broken but otherwise uninjured. Tadius pulled the beam off of her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and supporting her while she tried to balance on her one good leg.

"Are you ready?" Tadius asked once she had become fairly stable, and she nodded vehemently. Together they hobbled out of the conference room and back into the hall. Tadius felt his heart sink when he saw that most of the wall had been blown away, and Cantor was nowhere to be seen. _I hope he is alright._

Distracted for a moment, Tadius didn't see the gunship coming back around and bearing down on them. It opened fire, catching Tadius in the chest with enough force to instantly bring down his shields and knock him to the floor. The Asari commando was not so lucky, her barriers destroyed in the first attack on the conference room; the bullets ripped through her armor and sent her crashing to the floor. Tadius reached out to her and grabbed her hand as she sputtered and twitched, blood pooling around her. Soon she fell still, her eyes wide open just as the Councilor's had been.

"Enough of this," Tadius snarled. The commando's rifle had fallen a few feet away. Sliding carefully forward, Tadius grabbed the strap, easing it toward him. The gunship didn't see him apparently as it had begun firing into lower floors, surely cutting down people just trying to escape from the nightmare. Tadius extended the rifle, popping up to his knees and taking the shot.

The round ricocheted off the gunships shields, causing no damage but drawing the full attention of the ship to Tadius. Tadius only had a second to react as the gun of the ship began to spin, preparing to swiftly cut him down. He punched a button on the rifle and spun a dial to change the settings, firing off two shots in rapid succession. The first shot served to merely disrupt the shields, while the second shot punched a hole through the gunship's glass and its pilot.

The gunship immediately began to swerve out of control, spinning around in the air as alarms blared. Tadius ran as the gunship slammed into the side of the Tower and erupted into an enormous fireball, knocking Tadius to the floor as the Tower started to groan and shake.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed his, pulling him to his feet. Tadius had never been happier to see Garrus Vakarian in his entire life.

"Told you I would come back," Garrus said grimly, pulling Tadius along. They stumbled as explosions from the gunship rocked the Tower, and the building began shifting as supports gave way. "We're almost there. Got a shuttle waiting for us at the end of the hall. We've got this."

Tadius saw the shuttle, and knew they were out of time. Tables and chairs began to slide back down the hall and they ran, fighting hard against gravity as it tried to pull them down too. Tadius leapt from the building into the waiting shuttle, Garrus right behind him. The Tower shook violently as Garrus leapt, causing him to miss the shuttle, a hundred stories between him and the ground below…

Not today, however, because Tadius was there to lean out over the side and grab his arm, hauling him into the shuttle. Garrus thanked him, unable to believe he had just been snatched out of the air like that. He pounded on the side of the shuttle, yelling for the pilot to take off. The shuttle sped away, leaving the disaster behind as the Tower collapsed upon itself in an eruption of fire, ash and debris.

Espiritus Tower, the Turian beacon of hope that had stood for a millennium and survived a Reaper invasion, had fallen.


End file.
